[2] No matter the original color of the lobster shell, it will cook up bright red (photo courtesy Sydney Fish Market).

[3] Dining alfresco at Cliff House in Maine (photo courtesy Destination Hotels).

(Does anyone ever have his or her fill of lobster?)

We’ve previously written about how to buy a lobster from the tank, if you’re taking it home to cook.

If you’re planning to enjoy a lobster dinner at a restaurant, here are tips from a restaurant chef who specializes in lobster.

When we first heard about Chef Shell, we thought it was a nickname complimenting his expertise with shellfish.

However, he actually is Executive Chef Rick Shell, who oversees all culinary operations at Cliff House in Maine.

If you’ve ever sprung for a pricey restaurant lobster, only to have it not live up to your expectations—not sweet, not tender—here is his advice.

Lobster can evoke both casual and sophisticated dining memories. You can be at a picnic table, cracking lobster claws while sipping a cold microbrew; or at the most expensive restaurant in town, dining on lobster risotto with shaved black truffles.

“There is no right or wrong way to enjoy this gift from the ocean,” says Chef Shell.

But there are ways to ensure your lobster is memorable when you dine at a restaurant, he advises:

Weight. Always choose 1-pound lobsters. The meat is the sweetest. Do not venture past the 1.5-pound mark. It’s better to have two smaller lobsters than a larger one. And those big lobsters, that look so impressive and portend a great experience? The least sweet, with the toughest meat.

Preparation. Chef Shell boils the lobster, then places it on a wood fire to roast in the shell. Ask your server how the lobsters are prepared to compare techniques at different establishments.

Chewiness. Lobster should be like velvet, not chewy or tough. Chef shell advises that the usual culprit is overcooking. You can’t tell if the lobster is overcooked until you take a bite, so tell your server to relay that the kitchen should err on the side of undercooking instead of overcooking. In other words: You want soft, succulent meat.

Venue. Pick a place that sells a lot of lobsters: a good seafood restaurant. Even a steak house may be iffy. Look around: If you don’t see lobsters at many tables, it isn’t a fast-mover. It is more likely to be overcooked if the kitchen doesn’t turn them out in numbers; and if it’s a lobster tail instead of a whole lobster, it may come from the freezer.

HOW TO EAT A WHOLE LOBSTER

More tips from Chef Shell:

 
Voilà!

WINE & BEER PAIRINGS

From beverage manager Caitlin Hula:

 
NIBBLE TIP: Viognier (vee-ohn-YAY), from the Rhône Valley of France, is becoming much better known in white wine circles. It is now grown in California, Argentina and Chile, Australia and New Zealand. It is delicious with all fish and shellfish, including sushi.

Cliff House is a luxury oceanfront destination that looks out over the southern coast of Maine, just over an hour north of Boston and minutes from the famed sandy beaches of Ogunquit.

It welcomed its first guests in 1872, long before there was a need for garages for automobiles. The property stretches across 70 oceanfront acres atop Bald Head Cliff, overlooking the ocean’s edge and Nubble Lighthouse.

The beauty and serenity of the location offer a get-away-from-it-all escape. And then there’s the food.

The Tiller restaurant is suspended above the ocean. With panoramic views, spectacular sunrises, romantic sunsets, and the Atlantic horizon, it offers the perfect Maine oceanfront dining experience.

With lots of lobster, of course.

[5] Cliff House in Maine, just an hour and a few minutes north of Boston (photo courtesy Destination Hotels).